The Role of the Enterohepatic Circulation of Bile Salts and Nuclear Hormone Receptors in the Regulation of Cholesterol Homeostasis: Bile Salts As Ligands for Nuclear Hormone Receptors
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Redinger.qxd 3/28/03 11:21 AM Page 265 ORIGINAL ARTICLE The role of the enterohepatic circulation of bile salts and nuclear hormone receptors in the regulation of cholesterol homeostasis: Bile salts as ligands for nuclear hormone receptors Richard N Redinger MD RN Redinger. The role of the enterohepatic circulation of bile Le rôle de la circulation entérohépatique des salts and nuclear hormone receptors in the regulation of sels biliaires et des récepteurs de l’hormone cholesterol homeostasis: Bile salts as ligands for nuclear hormone receptors. Can J Gastroenterol 2003;17(4):265-271. nucléaire dans la régulation de l’homéostasie cholestérolique : Les sels biliaires comme The coordinated effect of lipid activated nuclear hormone receptors; ligands des récepteurs de l’hormone nucléaire liver X receptor (LXR), bound by oxysterol ligands and farnesoid X receptor (FXR), bound by bile acid ligands, act as genetic transcrip- L’effet coordonné des récepteurs nucléaires de l’hormone activée par les tion factors to cause feed-forward cholesterol catabolism to bile acids lipides, du récepteur X hépatique (RXH), lié par les ligands d’oxystérol et and feedback repression of bile acid synthesis, respectively. It is the le récepteur X famésoïde (RXF), liés par les ligands acidobiliaires, agit coordinated action of LXR and FXR, each dimerized to retinoid X comme des facteurs de transcription génétique afin de provoquer, respec- receptor, that signal nuclear DNA response elements to encode pro- tivement, un catabolisme cholestérolique non récurrent des sels biliaires et teins that prevent excessive cholesterol accumulation and bile salt une répression à rétroaction de la synthèse de l’acide biliaire. C’est l’action toxicity, respectively. LXR helps prevent hypercholesterolemia by coordonnée du RXH et du RXF, chacun étant dimérisé au récepteur X enhancing transporters for cholesterol efflux that enhance reverse rétinoïde, qui signale aux éléments de réponse de l’ADN nucléaire d’en- cholesterol transport, while FXR enhances intestinal reabsorption coder les protéines qui, respectivement, empêchent l’accumulation and preservation of bile salts by increasing the ileal bile acid binding cholestérolique excessive et la toxicité des sels biliaires. Le RXH con- protein. FXR also targets sodium taurocholate cotransport peptide tribue à prévenir l’hypercholestérolémie en accentuant l’efflux and bile salt export pump (protein) genes to limit bile salt uptake and cholestérolique des transporteurs, qui accroît le transport cholestérolique enhance export, respectively, which prevents bile salt toxicity. Other inversé, tandis que le RXF favorise la réabsorption intestinale et la préser- nuclear hormone receptors such as pregnan X receptor, which share vation des sels biliaires en augmentant la liaison de la protéine à l’acide biliaire iléal. Le RXF cible également le peptide de cotransport du tauro- the obligate partner, retinoid X receptor, and vitamin D receptor also cholate sodique et les gènes de la pompe (à protéines) d’exportation des function as bile acid sensors to signal detoxification by hydroxylation sels biliaires, respectivement, lesquels empêchent la toxicité des sels bi- of toxic bile acids. Pharmacologically targeted receptor agonists (or liaires. D’autres récepteurs nucléaires de l’hormone, tels que le récepteur antagonists) may be developed that alter cholesterol and bile salt X pregnan, qui partage le partenaire strict, le récepteur X rétinoïde, et le concentrations by modulating nuclear hormone receptors and/or récepteur de la vitamine D, fonctionnent également comme des senseurs their coactivators or corepressors to positively affect cholesterol de l’acide biliaire afin de signaler la détoxification par l’hydroxylation des homeostasis and bile salt metabolism. It is the coordinated transcrip- acides biliaires toxiques. Des agonistes (ou antagonistes) récepteurs ciblés tion factor action of LXR, which responds to ligand binding of circu- par la pharmacologie peuvent être mis au point pour altérer les concen- lating oxysterols in both liver and peripheral tissues, and FXR trations de cholestérol et de sels biliaires en modulant les récepteurs de responding to bile salts within the enterohepatic circulation that l’hormone nucléaire, leurs coactivateurs ou leurs corépresseurs à avoir un make possible the regulation of cholesterol and bile acid homeostasis. effet positif sur l’homéostasie cholestérolique et le métabolisme des sels biliaires. C’est l’action coordonnée des facteurs de transcription du RXH Key Words: Bile acid; Cholesterol homeostasis; Nuclear hormone qui réagit à la liaison ligand des oxystérols circulants tant dans le foie que receptors dans les tissus périphériques, et du RXF qui réagit aux sels biliaires dans la circulation entérohépatique qui rend possible la régulation du cholestérol et l’homéostasie de l’acide biliaire. t is well known that bile salts (note: bile acids become bile as other lipids such as monoglycerides, fatty acids and fat- Isalts at physiological cellular pH=7. In the present review, soluble vitamins for luminal digestion and consequent intes- the term bile acid is used to denote their state at the time of tinal absorption (1). The physiochemical mechanisms under- synthesis while the designation bile salt is used to reflect their lying these actions were worked out by seminal studies on chemical state in body solutions as sodium and potassium salts biliary lipids and intraluminal intestinal digestion, thus provid- of bile acids) have major biological effects related to their abil- ing a better understanding of the pathogenesis of gallstone dis- ity to solubilize cholesterol in bile and in the intestine, as well ease (2) and luminal gut lipid malabsorption (3). However, the Department of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA Correspondence and reprints: Dr Richard Redinger, Department of Medicine, University of Louisville, 530 South Jackson Street, Third floor, Louisville, Kentucky 40292 USA. Telephone 502-852-5241, fax 502-852-6233, e-mail [email protected] Received for publication June 10, 2002. Accepted December 19, 2002 Can J Gastroenterol Vol 17 No 4 April 2003 ©2003 Pulsus Group Inc. All rights reserved 265 Redinger.qxd 3/28/03 11:21 AM Page 266 Redinger role of nuclear hormone receptors within the enterohepatic ostasis. Bile acids, the catabolic end product of cholesterol, are circulation of bile salts has not been fully appreciated, which much more hydrophilic than cholesterol and in fact act as relates to the molecular regulation of bile salt and cholesterol detergents by forming mixed micelles with cholesterol and oth- homeostasis that prevents intrahepatic bile salt toxicity and er lipids for their transport to and absorption from the intestine abnormal accumulation of cholesterol or their esters, respec- (2). Bile salts themselves can become toxic at high levels in tively. Recently, through major advances in research relating cells, so that their intracellular levels must also be regulated in to molecular signaling by ligand binding to nuclear hormone addition to that of cholesterol (15). receptors, it is now apparent that bile salts themselves act as Insight into the physiological complexity contributing to ligands to nuclear receptors and thereby play an increasingly the regulation of bile salt metabolism first became apparent important role in preserving cholesterol homeostasis in mam- with the description of an enterohepatic circulation of bile mals, including man (4-8). The present review is intended to salts, which anatomically defined the movement of bile salts help the clinical gastroenterologist/hepatologist understand by following their synthesis as bile acids in the liver; secretion the role of the molecular regulation of bile salts and cholesterol as bile salts into the intestine by the biliary tract; their avid homeostasis both within and complementary to the entero- reabsorption in the distal ileum; and consequent transport hepatic circulation of bile salts. Due to the limited scope of the back to the liver in portal blood (16). More than 95% of bile present review and space limitations, additional reviews are salt secretion is thereby preserved with the body, so that less listed in the bibliography for details of molecular structure and than 5% of the bile salt pool is lost by fecal elimination. other nuclear hormone receptors that control other aspects of Excessive bile salt loss also must be avoided, because bile salts lipid metabolism (9-11). have colonic effects on cyclic adenosine monophosphate- induced water secretion and will produce secretory diarrhea if EVOLUTIONARY IMPERATIVES FOR lost excessively into the colon (ie, bile salt enteropathy) (17). CHOLESTEROL METABOLISM This fine-tuned circulation of the bile salt pool of two to four The need for bile salts in human evolution traces back to the grams, which cycles several times a meal and a total of 10 or need for cells to synthesize cholesterol as well as to control its more times daily, produces a total effective feed-forward secre- excessive accumulation by metabolic degradation. As life pro- tion of 30 grams of bile salt per day. Thus, an economy of the gressed from non-nucleated prokaryotes to eurokaryotes, with enterohepatic circulation of bile salts is necessary for preserva- the development of multiorganelle structures involving com- tion of the bile salt pool (18). For this economy to be realized for the maintenance of a constant bile salt pool, feedback con- plex membrane